Color Archaeology
by Sakurai-Nyaa
Summary: The world is never what it seems but what if it was even more drastic than what we thought? What if everything you were ever taught in school was a complete lie but no one could remember except the ones who were meant to protect the secret? Humans weren't put on Earth by God nor did they evolve. So how did they get here? Looks can be deceiving and things are never what they seem.
1. Chapter 1: Why do you confuse me so?

Hey all! I haven't written something for FF.N in forever! Sorry about not finishing that last one but I really lost the motivation to do it after school picked up but I'm back with a whole new story and crazy stuff is gonna be happenin'! xD There's a couple of really interesting theories I've had buzzing around my head for a bit and so this story is a conglomeration of the crazy ideas I have while I'm awake and a some from my wacko subconscious that makes my dreams. So all around fun times! Anyway, some of the characters aren't exactly like they've been portrayed by other people but that's what makes fanfiction fun. I can do things my way. ;P

Here's the boring disclaimer: I don't own any of the vocaloids but everything else is my idea! Why do we have to bother with these things? It wouldn't be in a place called if it wasn't a _fan _making it. I'm gonna stop before I get *** Pow* **... shot… carry on… bleh… x.x

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**Color Archaeology **

Chapter 1: "Why do you confuse me so?"

_Bright. Too bright. The colors were blinding in their intensity. Surrounding me and everything else. Starting to stab into me. Invading me. Pushing me to the edge. Why? This is my body. Why can't I control myself? Have to resist. Must resist. Can't… Hard to breathe… Can't breathe... Can't… fight… _

I'd awoken in a start to my dog, Ty, lying across my chest. Me suddenly jolting to consciousness, startled Ty and he ran off to the door for me to let him out. It was no wonder I couldn't breathe in that dream, with his large Great Dane sized body crushing me. Not like it really made a difference anyway. I'd been having the same dream since I was able to even recall having dreams. My therapist said it was nothing and probably a product of my own lack of control of my life and too many movies. Yeah, like that even made sense. Whatever. As I pulled back the covers, I glanced at the clock. Five thirty-six. Might as well get up now for our morning run. I changed into my running gear and sleepily meandered my way to the front door.

Ty, boundless energy bundle that he was, regardless of the time of day, repeatedly bludgeoned me with that thing he called a tail while I laced my shoes up. I hated mornings and I especially hated running so why did I bother with early morning runs? I seriously questioned myself sometimes but this was the only way I could seem to get rid of my anxiety. The medication didn't work and therapists never really did me any good. I needed to be out when no one else was and just be in nature.

I was just stretching, while Ty relieved himself, when I started to feel a bit uneasy. Casually, I glanced around to make sure no one was near me or creepily staring at me. It happens from time to time and hey it's not exactly the safest neighborhood in the suburbs either. The only people around were a person jogging around the corner and a man loading his family's luggage down the street from my small apartment building. I guessed it was probably just the tension from the dream getting to me, again. Time to start on my own version therapy, I decided, as Ty started showing his displeasure for having to wait on me. We started down our usual path to the big tree at the beginning of the park at a moderate pace, getting used to being awake and the strain being thrust unto my body.

Ty's long strides kept me going to try and get him tired since I'd be gone for a larger portion of the day than usual. It was my long day on campus and I'd only have enough time to let him out before work began tonight at the club. We were just about to pass the large tree when a blazing fire arced pain through my skull and left me no escape except to drop to my knees and grab my head to make it stop. The arrays of colors from my dream were back in full force but I wasn't dreaming. Was I? Were those roots moving closer to me? Got to get up. Got to move away from those things and the pain lacerating my brain into slivers. I struggled to get to my feet but it was a futile attempt. Just as I couldn't fight it in my own subconscious, I couldn't manage it in real life. This was it, huh? I couldn't even manage to stand? Lame. I am way cooler than that, right? While I was struggling through my pain to get up, I'd heard Ty cry out like I'd never heard him before. I looked over through my haze to see that the roots had wound around his legs and head, trying to rip him apart like some medieval torture device. Didn't we learn about that in history class? What was it called? Being drawn and quartered? What am I thinking, that's not important! This was not happening. This was not going to happen. I had to get to him. Trying to focus around my own pain, I gritted my teeth and managed to get up into a crouched position to crawl toward Ty. I barely grasped one of the longer roots with my fingers when the tree let out an ear-piercing wail. I closed my eyes to shut it out but when I reopened them everything was seemingly normal again, like nothing had ever happened. Ty was looking up at me, eyes full of innocent curiosity. "Why are we stopped and not playing?" he seemed to be saying without a scratch on him. Nothing was out of place. Was I going crazy for real? When I'd fallen, surely I must have gotten scratched up somewhere right? I looked down. I looked exactly the same as when I left my apartment but just a little more winded… what the hell? Okay, I've lost it. Today was apparently the day I was going to officially be crazy. Whatever. Good a day as any, I suppose.

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After my hallucinogenic, mental breakdown-filled morning, I managed to somehow make it back to my apartment and get ready for the chemistry class I had at eight. How I got so lucky to be put into it, I'd have no idea. I should probably stop procrastinating when it's time to register but there are clearly more important things to worry about than signing up for a class a month before I'll even know if I passed the prerequisite course. Who does stuff like that anyway? Ugh. The good news was that Rin, Len and Kaito would be in the class with me. Morning-time Rin was not going to be the most pleasant in the world though. Good thing for us Len knows how to control his sister; lots and lots of bribery.

Before heading out the door, I gave Ty a nice farewell rubdown and grabbed my helmet. I walked over to the parking garage where I parked my sexy pink and black bike. Some would say I loved this motorcycle too much but they just didn't understand. The freedom that comes with the wind whipping past you and no real barriers between you and the open road, it's exhilarating.

Zipping up my matching pink and black leather jacket and putting on my helmet, I straddled my bike and brought her to life. The gravel crunched underneath her tires as I jumped into the morning commuter traffic. It didn't normally take me long to get to campus but I drove around a little longer so I could revel in the power contained in my bike and then parked in my usual spot.

"Hey, Lu, over here!" Len called to me from the corner seat of the lab room. I could see that Rin and Kaito were already engaged in a conversation about which type of coffee drink was the best.

"Why do you still call me that?" I asked feigning annoyance. He'd called me that ever since we had that group art project and we'd all decided to do a gender bent comic of ourselves. "You know I can't call you yours cuz then Rin thinks I'm talking to her. Why didn't we just give them their own original names, right _Kaiko_?" I laughed drawing Kaito into our conversation.

"You don't remember? By the time we came up with the idea for the project, we only had like a week to finish it. Luka's name wasn't just Lu though. It was … Lu…Luki! Lu was what that girl said we should call her instead. " Kaito replied.

You could tell Len was trying to think back to when we were all in high school. It seemed so far away and yet not at all. A lot had happened when we were all in school together. Len and Rin had been two grades lower than Kaito and I, so we graduated before them. Rin hadn't talked to me much that last year because she was upset to see us leave. She was probably thinking that if we argued and then just slowly drifted apart, that it would hurt less but friends that had been together for as long as us, couldn't just fall apart like that. We wouldn't let that happen.

Len finally convinced her that we were all closer than what she gave us credit for. What really cemented it though was that fact that we all had applied and gotten accepted to the same university, unbeknownst to all of us except Kaito. He pulled us all back together that winter of our graduating year. Right before we left for winter break and before the twin's birthday, he surprised everyone with a slide show of everything that had happened with all of us in the 14 years we'd known each other. I wouldn't admit it to them but I really couldn't ask for better friends.

"… and then she pushed that green-haired girl into that depressing white-haired chick. You know, the who'd bring her dad's alcohol to school and… hey, Luka, you alright?" Rin asked me in the middle of her story, that I apparently had missed all of.

"Yeah. Sorry. It's too early for me. Actually, how come you're all happy this morning? Shouldn't you be the grumpy hungover one?" I teased my best friend. "Didn't you and Len go out partying all night?"

"We aren't all old like you and Kaito so we can go out and still be ready come day light hours." She smugly quipped back at me.

"Hey! We aren't old." Kaito scoffed at the blonde girl next to him. "We're mature and sophisticated."

"Pfft! Yeah right. You went to a knitting convention last year. That makes you as old as the day is long, my friend." Rin replied.

"I only went cuz the cute girl outside said she'd knit me a scarf to match my eyes." Kaito joked sporting the same the very same scarf he was mentioning. "Don't be a hater because I get more attention than you." He said while poking out his tongue in Rin's direction.

"Attention class! Today, we are going to be conducting an experiment on chemical compositions and how to calculate the percent composition of the compounds in the mixtures I'll be putting out for you." The instructor began, quickly cutting off Rin's snippy retort.

"Lucky…stupid…blue-haired idiot…" Rin mumbled to herself while Len nudged her to be quiet. He was busy taking notes on our teacher's mini lecture before we had to begin. It was a good thing Len and Kaito were taking such good notes because I couldn't find it in me to focus on the material today. What was that weirdness this morning? Insomnia could be a factor since I hardly slept more than a few hours at a time. That damn dream kept haunting me… I tried to think back on some of the details. There was something familiar about the way it made me feel… Like it'd happened before… Hmmm.

"… so you guys can go ahead and get into your groups and get started." The professor told us. Guess the lecture was over. It seemed shorter than usual or maybe I was really out of it.

"…sigh…" I remarked idly as I walked over to where the lab coats and goggles were. You wanted to get there before everyone else did or we'd be stuck with the raggedy lab coats. You know the ones that wouldn't stay together without a whole lot of help from your deity of choice? I sifted through the available coats when I noticed this girl with long greenish hair… or maybe bluish… actually it looked kind of teal. I wonder if she dyed it that color. People always thought I dyed mine because of the uncommon pink I had. Genetics can be pretty cool that way. As I was contemplating the naturalness of her hair, she glanced in my direction before quickly looking away. The suddenness of having been caught staring, made me blush slightly so I quickly turned away, grabbed the stuff we needed, and got back to the safety of my group.

"What was all that about?" Kaito asked me with a weird look on his face.

"What was what about?" I replied, pretending that I hadn't just got caught staring at a girl I didn't really know.

"Why were you staring at the Hatsune girl? I know she's gorgeous and all but you didn't really need to be staring _that_ hard." Rin laughed at me.

"I-I wasn't." I whispered harshly and tried not to glance in her direction again. She was going to think I was some weirdo. Great. Add her to the list of people who think I'm crazy which at this point probably wasn't too far off. "Sigh."

"We were just teasing you." Rin continued to laugh at my displeasure. "Seriously though, what took ya so long? Len already got our sample but we can't start yet cuz you take forever with our equipment. I wanna be outta here as quickly as possible. Need to get some sleep soon or get at least sixteen more heavily caffeinated drinks. "

"You should try sleeping. I hear it's good for aspiring college graduates but hey what do I know." Kaito replied. "In fact, you should come over to my place." He said while winking at Rin.

"Like I'd go with the school whore, to try to sleep. You try to have sex with anything that's alive." Rin said trying not to get caught up in Kaito's antics. She'd told me before that she'd had a thing for our blue-haired friend in high school but that was before he'd hit puberty. I couldn't be sure but I think she only liked the more effeminate looking guys now. "It's a good thing all the plants in the corner are fake or I'm sure we'd have to pry you away from them too." We all laughed at the truth behind her statement. Even the teacher giggled a little…and so did she. The girl I had been staring, I mean looking at, was smirking while taking notes on her sample. She looked nice like that; the protective glasses she was wearing suited her much more than the cheap goggles the rest of us were sporting.

"But where would you be without all of my fantastic escapades to guide you through your amazing college adventure?" He joked back in a mock Shakespearean attitude.

"Alright, let's get back to work." I stopped them before we got too distracted from finishing the lab. Things went by normally with the experiment. Lit some stuff on fire, laughed at Kaito's panicky face when he thought his eyebrows got torched off, and repetitive trips to the mass scale to see how much of the mixture's chemicals had been oxidized. Throughout the class though, my eyes were drawn to the teal-haired girl I hadn't much paid attention to before. Our eyes would periodically meet and neither of us would say anything but I got the impression she was trying to feel me out. It was almost as if I could feel her trying to speak to me through just her eyes… like we already knew each other. Weird. Yup, I've finally lost it. Imaginary soul searchings from girls I'd never met or spoken to before.

We wrote down all of our findings and started to pack so we could leave. I collected everyone's lab coats and goggles and was on my way over to put them away when it felt like someone was tapping me. I looked to my left expecting to see Len handing me something I'd forgotten but there was no one there. What in the world? What's wrong with me now? I looked around and everyone was pretty much gone except that girl again. She was staring right at me. Glaring, even. I didn't understand what was going on so I just kept walking to the coat rack when I felt it. Again. And again I looked around to see her glaring at me. Seriously, what was her deal? And why could I feel her looks anyway?

"C'mon Luka! I'm starving! Let's go grab some breakfast and work on these lab questions together!" Rin yelled from the open door of the lab room. When I looked back over to where the girl was, she was already gone.

I shrugged and yelled back to my friends. "Hold on! I'm coming!" I threw my backpack on, grabbed my helmet and jacket, and made my over to go with everyone downstairs to the cafeteria. "So, which ones did he say we had to do? Was it just the odd ones again?" I asked.

"All the odd ones and then do number six too. The other even ones are extra credit." Len said while looking through the available food in the line. He and Rin had a nice little pile of food being created on their tray. Kaito was already flirting with some girls at the front of the line and trying to get one of them to get him breakfast. Not that it was ever hard for him to get his way when he wanted it. I'll never understand how he went from the mild-mannered kid I knew, to the playboy he turned into as he got older. He was still mostly the same despite what he tried to get people to believe.

"Hello there ladies." Kaito greeted us when we had gotten our food. "And Len." He added when Len pouted about being included as a lady. "Please, please sit and enjoy the lovely view." He said while gesturing to the almost full cafeteria center.

"Oh, why, thank you for allowing us to be seated with you, sir." I replied sarcastically and pulled out a chair at the table while Rin and Len did the same. "Why am I friends with you again?"

"Because I'm so charming and good looking." Kaito said while he inspected the breakfast bagel he'd gotten before ungracefully taking a huge bite out of it.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely charming." I deadpanned and decided to start with eating my yogurt and tossing pieces of my fruit salad into it. A comfortable silence came over the table while we engorged on the much-needed sustenance. I let my mind wander to the experiment we had just done and how I could answer the questions we still had to answer. I grabbed my book bag, rifled through its' contents to find my lab manual, and flipped it open to the right page so I could skim over the questions. They didn't seem too bad compared to the last lab. We just needed to finish our calculations and repeat some of the same processes for the questions. Easy.

"The first three questions are almost exactly the same things he said in the lecture so you guys can just copy what I wrote in lab today." Len said when he noticed what I was looking at. He pulled out his notes and manual too so we could work on it together. Rin was probably just going to copy Len's like she always did right before it was due so she took her time eating. Kaito surprisingly wanted to study for his midterm exam coming up next week so he was looking over his notes instead. It was scary to think he was going to be a doctor one day.

Len and I continued to work on the lab calculations together and double-checked them between each other to make sure we had the right same answers. It was always much easier to do these when we worked together because we could split the work. We finished the majority of the lab and decided to work on the other couple of questions later because Rin and Len had class soon. That left Kaito and I to go walk around a bit, before we too had to go to class.

"How's the studying for that genetics class?" I inquired when Kaito looked like he was done with attempting to study.

"I feel alright about it now but there's so much to remember and I'm worried I'm going to just forget everything one it's time for the actual exam." He said after letting out a huge sigh. Kaito and I were in our junior year now so our classes tended to get harder the further we went on. The information from previous classes tended to pile onto each other quickly and we were expected to remember a lot. We kind of lucked out with neither of us having finished our chemistry labs and the twins managed to sneak into our class by sucking up to the guidance counselor. They could be sneaky sometimes but at least it got us to have a class together despite the differences in our majors and our years.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. The twins really have it easy being freshman and taking mostly easy classes." I replied to Kaito.

"I wouldn't say it's all easy but they have us to ask for help on the hard classes."

"That's true. I wish I had our help when we were freshman." We laughed together at remembering how overwhelmed we were our freshman year. There was so much to do and so little time to do everything; Wanting to be on our own but being scared to be on our own.

"Guess we really are old, huh?" Kaito smiled toward me. "At least compared to those two kids. Anyway, I got to head to class now. If I'm late, Professor Fujita will lock me out of the class…again." He managed to almost look ashamed before giving me a smirk and heading down the science hall. "See ya before you head to work?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I got class in a half hour so I'll meet you at the usual around… say 4:30?" I asked him as we started walking away from each other toward our respective classes.

"Sounds good. Don't die of boredom!"

"You too. You don't want to be hit with the eraser for falling asleep in class." I joked him in reference to our old English class together and walked toward the education building.

There was no need to rush so I took the long way around and enjoyed the bustle of university life. There were students milling about chatting with their friends and faculty power walking to their offices. The crisp winter air hadn't quite given way to spring yet and so it was still a bit cold out. I put on my jacket and sat under a tree while I watched the activity. Looking at the other students who had decided to partake in the relaxing atmosphere, I noticed that there was a rather large group of people sitting under the large tree across the great lawn. They didn't look to be people who would normally hang out with each other. I wondered if they were some sort of club or something. When I started trying to remember the clubs we had, one of the people from the group started angrily gesturing to the other. The angry boy actually looked kind of like Len but there was what seemed to be a bandage around his eye and his hair was a touch lighter. The red-haired girl he was apparently arguing with seemed disinterested and continued to pull cherries out from a bag and pop them into her mouth. I tried to concentrate to see if I could hear what they were saying. I thought if I focused over toward them I might better hear them but as soon as I had the thought, the boy abruptly stopped mid-sentence. Suddenly, they all looked toward me and I froze. What was that about? Why were six people all turning to look at me at the same time? Was that girl with them too? So that's where she ran off to. Not that I was wondering or anything.

The girls' intense stare brought me out of my thoughts. Again, I had the distinct feeling she was trying to tell me something. I could almost hear her trying to tell me to _go to class_. What? _Leave and go to class._ Class? Why should I go to class? I still had…no time! Looking at my watch, I realized I had about five minutes before class started. I hurriedly gathered all my stuff and made a mad dash to the education building. If I was quick, and I was, I could make it. Before running off, I sent a thankful look toward the girl who gave me a slight smile before turning away to talk to the red-haired girl.

I made it to the doorway just as the teacher was about to shut the door and I silently thanked the girl for telling me I had to go. Wait. She didn't actually say anything and even she did there was no way I could hear her when I couldn't even hear the bandaged guy yelling across the lawn. So… what had I heard then? Was this another product of my insomnia? What was with me today? Maybe I should make another appointment with my therapist. But when would I have the time between work and school? Or the money for that matter. I pondered over the events that had happened with the mysterious teal-haired girl since this morning. I'd never really noticed her before but now that I thought about it, I'm pretty sure I'd seen her around. She was such an attractive girl; who wouldn't have noticed her?

I pulled out my phone and looked through my photo album since this was an easy elective class and didn't require my full attention. Flipping through all the hundreds of photos, I found the ones from Kaito's birthday party. That'd been a really fun night at the club. Luckily for the twins, the boss knew us and snuck them in so we could decorate and spoil our friend properly. We gave him so many drinks he really didn't remember most of the night but that's what you wanted for a twenty-first birthday, right? The two blonde-headed teens kept stealing the camera so there was a lot of evidence of the chaos we caused. There was one particularly great photo of Kaito being dared to make out with a chair. I'm pretty sure that he took it way too seriously but he did manage to make a few people jealous of a chair that night.

While I was busy trying to maintain my apathetic look so as not to draw attention to the fact that I was completely not paying attention to the lecture, I noticed a familiar color of hair in the corner of the photo. I zoomed in and sure enough, there was that girl again. Actually, now that I looked at it, there was the red-haired girl too. She was actually a pretty good dancer from what I could tell from a still photo. I went back to the beginning of the party to see if she had been there the whole night too. Every picture we had from that night had the two of them in it and even some of the other people in that group I saw earlier would appear now and then. That's not weird at all. My anxiety was starting to go into over-drive now. I tried to calm myself over the oddly time events. It was a party. Of course there would be a bunch of people I didn't know or remember even being there. It was at a public club. Keyword being public. I calmed myself before I had another mental breakdown. There was still this weird feeling that maybe those people had been talking about me earlier. How conceited was I to think that they were following me or something? There was no reason to even check any of my other pictures because the idea was just ludicrous… right?

I desperately tried to focus on the lecture so I could ignore my irrational feelings but I kept glancing down to my phone. Its' urgency for me to 'just make sure' was beckoning me. Like a lost sailor following the seductive call of a siren, I gave in to a foolish decision that I hoped would just prove how silly I was being. I scrolled back to the photos of when I'd first gotten my phone back in freshman year. The very first photo was of Kaito and I standing in front of a giant statue of an Octopus, the school mascot, and there on the steps leading to the cafeteria was the very same group of people scattered around. My heart, jack-hammering its' way through my ribcage, was threatening to kill me. This was not happening. I'd been stalked for three years without my knowledge. Was I about to be a victim of some occult murder? How had I only just now realized they were even there? Was I really that oblivious? But if they were trying to kill me, how come they were taking so long and why did that girl seem to be trying to tell me something all day? Maybe things weren't what they seemed to be; they very seldom ever are.

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So, here we are at the end of the first chapter. What'd ya think? Questions, comments or concerns? Feedback is definitely welcome. :) I'm not sure what other characters I want to add in yet or exactly what role they could have. I only have the main plot points and a few twists and turns to surprise you guys with so any suggestions you have I might be open to if they don't interfere with what I already have planned. Also, I'm not sure how the formatting looks to you guys because I've had issues with it before so let me know if stuff is spaced apart all wonky.

I was going to try to put up a new chapter every week so you should expect a new chapter probably around the weekend sometime unless I get too excited and post early or lazy and don't get to it. Haha. I need reminders sometimes or I feel like no one really wants me to update. Does that make me a review whore? Hope not… Oh well! :D

I've got my first game tonight and it's a double header! Time to get wasted and play kickball for my bday! xD See you all next week and hope to hear from ya! Laterz!

~~Rai ;P


	2. Chapter 2: Awakening

**Hey again all! I was surprised to actually see a couple reviews. Who knew ya had it in ya? Lol. In honor of those reviews, I decided to keep to my word and give you the next chapter! **

**In case anyone was wondering we won one of our games and lost the other. Who knew people actually took kickball so seriously; we sure as heck don't if our drunk pitcher was any clue. Ha! Anywho!**

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah…vocaloids not mine… story=mine **

**Onward!**

**{break}**

**Color Archaeology **

Chapter 2: "Awakening"

It was almost three in the morning when Ty's cold, wet nose greeted me at my apartment door before he scampered off to lounge lazily back on his bed. Good thing I had insomnia or these insufferable hours would be the end of me. Too much had happened today. In the last few hours alone, there were several groups of drunk patrons trying to fight each other over which sport was the best, someone trying to (un)stealthily take money from the tip jar and a girl I had to fire for doing body shots with the customers. "Sigh." People. Typical Friday night at the underground hotspot- known predominantly by the famous and those on the up and up of local scenes- that was Crypton Club and being it's head bartender got me good money to pay for my own not so spacious apartment off campus as well as the joy of handling any situation that could and would arise. There were so many benefits but lately, it had me wondering if this was what I was truly supposed to be doing with my life. I had always seen the Club as a means to an end when I had first began and it had done its job well but here I was still working there- now as head bartender- with nothing of real value to show for it. I was tired of the stress that was piling up more and more from the meaningless mendacity that had snuck up on me and settled into my life. Now wasn't the time for me to discover the solutions to all of my existential problems especially since I still hadn't figured out what to do about my recently acquired stalker club. They hadn't acted on anything…yet. Should I confront them? Call the police and let them handle the situation? Tell anyone at all? I'm sure Kaito would be willing to help me out but I didn't want to put him in danger too. Although, if they had been following me for as long as I thought, then they already knew of my close friends and there was no use in trying to guise something already known.

I headed to the shower to remove the acrid scent of sweat and smoke from leaving a noxious vapor trail behind me and hopefully some highly coveted clarity would decide to grace me with its presence. Even Ty couldn't tolerate my presence for long after I'd just returned back from a full night at Crypton and that was saying something. I took extra care to rid my hair of the nicotine smell but otherwise, didn't take more than a few minutes to wash up and change into some freshly washed pajamas- my last pair. Theoretically, the exhaustion saturating my body would let me drift off to a peaceful visit with the Sandman for at least a few hours. I pulled my comforter aside in order to further snuggle down into the recesses of my bed for the night while signaling to Ty that he was allowed to get in the bed with me. His heat eased me into sleep much sooner than if I had suffered alone but it was true: I spoiled my dog. That's what makes him so lovable though; at least, that was my opinion. We both settled into our spots and I waited for sleep to overtake me…

_Can't…breathe…_

"_What're you doing? We already told you that you could not act without our consent!" _

… _voices…_

"_We don't need your lousy permission. This is the one and nothing will stop us from this… not even you."_

… _pain… intruding… again…_

"_Silence! I will not speak to you about this again! You know the law!"_

_...s…s…s-stop…stop…_

"_It matters not. It has already begun. Can you not feel it? Our presence ensures it."_

_Stop…STOP IT ALREADY!_

The loud banging sound outside my apartment jolted me awake and subsequently startled me out of my bed and onto the worn carpeted floor where I hit my head on the nightstand. "Ow…" I complained to no one and rubbed the sore-spot checking for blood. There was none of course. What was that sound anyway? I followed Ty to the window adjacent to the bed and peered out to see if I could find the culprit. There was nothing of merit to see, just a couple of people laughing and stumbling in from a night out presumably in celebration of some milestone or other. Further down, I could see a knocked over trashcan leaning against a light pole, its' contents lay sprawled along the road and sidewalk where it had once been upright. That must have been what I'd heard earlier. They must have really clobbered that thing for it to wake me up but then again these days it didn't take a whole lot. I glanced over toward my nightstand and the alarm clock situated atop it, to check the time. Five fifty-nine. "Sigh." Couldn't I just manage to stay asleep for once? Was there some karmic reason for me not being allowed a peaceful night to rejuvenate my hackled and frayed nerves, a simple moment of respite from the chore of my taxing day-to-day life?

Ty looked over at me from his spot on the bed, knowing full well that we were going to go running soon and attempting to jar me from my quickly darkening thoughts. Who was I to deny him his fun? An animal like him needed a big yard or better yet an open field to frolic in but I just couldn't afford that kind of luxury. There really wasn't much of a choice for us though. It was either we stayed or we left from back there and there was no way I was going to be leaving him with those people when I didn't even want to be with them. Sometimes things just ended up differently than we expected. The good part about having him around was that he kept me in pretty good shape and it was nice to have someone to come home to that was earnestly happy to see me, even if it was just an overzealous dog.

I donned my usual workout gear, clipped the leash to Ty's worn hand-me-down collar, and marched out into the cold and toward the bakery down the street. Maybe we would watch the sunrise this morning since I didn't have to really be anywhere until work tonight and perhaps pick up some breakfast while we were at it. That would hopefully leave me with time to attempt another nap and do some of the laundry that had started piling up while I dove into the never-ending grunt work my professors deemed necessary to pass their class. As we jogged our way in the direction of the wonderful carb-haven, something ran directly into me from the alleyway on my right, knocking me roughly to a recently gum-marked sidewalk.

"Ow! Watch it!" I yelled to the careless person that had practically tackled me to the ground. It was too early for all this. Ty was just sitting there, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, as he watched on with curiosity. Realizing that this other person didn't even try to apologize and had somehow managed to not fall over, I got up and was about to lay into them about how rude they were being when I was met with a deep swirl of ever-changing green and blue hues that left me forgetting the list of choice words I had intended to say. "It's…you…", I spoke in a tone fractionally higher than a whisper. Here she was again. That very same girl, the one whose eyes spoke more than she did most of the time. Actually, I couldn't remember ever having heard her speak, even in passing. Well, there was that one time earlier in the week…but I was pretty sure I was delusional about that, considering it was in my head and all. I realized she still hadn't said anything. Kind of unusual since I was sure I was blatantly staring at this point.

"Miku! You know you aren't supposed to… " a tall, lanky purple-haired man began but stopped upon the realization that I was there as well. His eyes widened when he saw me, a flash of recognition passed his face before he quickly averted his attention back toward…Miku. Those eyes. The man had been speaking to her but she stood stark still, eyes never leaving mine, even to blink. Here I was just trying to shake her from my thoughts when she literally came crashing back into it and me at once. Why did she never say anything to me but look at me so full of something so familiar and simultaneously foreign, an indescribable longing, a forlorn expression of sadness with something else laced and wound into its very core, an expression I couldn't recall ever having seen on any other person or creature before. There was something so unreal about her presence that I couldn't find the words to express how it felt to be around this woman. Ever since I had fully come to the knowledge of her existence, things had seemed clearer than they had before. The hazy miasma shrouding me had lifted and out from that dull gray fog she stood before me. The aforementioned girl severed our ocular exchange, letting out a regret-ridden sigh, walked over to the man staring at our silent dialogue and grabbed his hand unceremoniously. The man, startled as much by the slightly intimate gesture as I was, looked back to me and then down at his hand enclosed in hers. Wasting no time with the man's reluctance or hesitation, she began dragging him along. Together, they made off back in the direction she seemed to have been escaping from in the first place without another word to each other or me.

I stood there dumbfounded, simply standing there, eyes full of confusion at the bizarre occurrence I had just been witness and participant to, as their silhouettes retreated from my line of sight. What had just happened? How did I keep running into this woman when she had made herself scarce for the last three years of my life? Who was that guy she was with? Did they have some sort of relationship? Better yet! Why should I care?! Why did I care? …I didn't… Those people were stalking me and potentially planning my sickeningly brutal murder! Of course I didn't care about her… them… her… well, whatever! No matter that my very being gravitated toward her without my conscious command, she was not someone to be trusted. People didn't just end up in all of the exact same places at the same time for three years without reason and I was sure in need of some reason. Ty began incessantly rubbing his knobby head into my hand and wiggling about, "Ma, it's time to get breakfast already", he was telling me; I knew this, of course, because of my astounding knowledge of animal behavior from the experts presented to me through cable television. I smiled down at his antics, quickly coming back to the reality of me gawking down a littered occupant free alleyway, making every passerby think I was some sort of drug-addict on their latest high which I kind of was with the way lack of suitable sleep and thoughts of… Anyway! I wasn't getting enough sleep causing it to be tough to stay in the present and not have my eyes unfocused, giving me that glazed over junkie look. "To the bakery!" I announced loudly in a futile attempt to shake the recent events from my brain and sprinted off to my destination with Ty in tow. Several people watched us as we made a spectacle- gallivanting and shouting with Ty barking enthusiastically in response- all the way down the block.

**{break}**

Barely concealed concern adorned his face as he surreptitiously looked about for any person or activity that could be deemed threatening. "This cannot be happening and not on my watch." he mumbled before leaping up the stairs two at a time to his Lady's current residence. Pounding and whining could be heard from outside the door, announcing his presence to the owner of the apartment waiting inside. He needn't knock when he was already expected and the animal inside greeted him enthusiastically. It had been too long since he had last visited. His Lady seemed to need some respite from social obligations but the much needed time to herself hadn't lessened the effects of the Order gathering from wreaking havoc upon her already strained mortal body. There wasn't much time left for her before it would all begin.

They made idle chitchat as he continued his assessment. Something seemed to be of concern to her, more than she was wont to do, and she couldn't prevent it from ghosting across her face before trying to mask it behind pleasantries. He longed to ask her the questions that had plagued him since he had finally discovered her and the others in their current youth. To have someone, whom you were so close to, not be able to recollect the past memories you had shared, made it difficult to manage maintaining the ignorance of thoughts secreted within. The knowledge of personal preferences and tastes not known in this lifetime, made for an interesting balance of past and present self that was slowly becoming too much for the silent guardian to retain. Suddenly, an expression he had not seen for decades crossed her once jovial face before disappearing to where it was hidden previously. Yes. A whirl of tumbling, uncontrollable events would soon begin, setting off a chain-reaction unknown to this humble planet, changing it forevermore.

Excuses bounced around his head as he tried to come up with a suitable reason for his presence remaining throughout the evening, in order to better keep her safe from those who would not have her accomplish her future duties. Surely, there were many others beside the few already among the Order. Cowardly and spineless vermin they truly were, he would have eliminated them if he was given the opportunity to do so but ultimately that decision rested with his Lady and she both lacked the knowledge on the matter at present and would not give such a command, for everyone- regardless of personal opinion- mattered in the grand scheme of life if her previous lifetimes' actions were any indication. Luckily, he had no need for such an excuse as she offered one to him. There was something amiss with her sudden change in demeanor that unsettled the guardian. He remained on edge, waiting somewhat patiently, as she retrieved something from the bag she kept on the counter's top. On her return, she handed him the device gathered from the bag, revealing several of the very vermin he had been worried about. This couldn't be a good sign. Upon further inspection of the evidence, there was cause for relief. These were not only the ones he had been concerned about but also his brothers and sisters in arms! So they had awakened as well and were already preparing for the trials that awaited in the days soon to come. There was at least a comfort in that he would no longer be alone in this honor he was cast in to.

Trying to comfort his Lady, he encouraged her to let him handle the situation without the assistance of the local law enforcement. They would serve no purpose among them besides providing a minor distraction for their opposition- and their own ranks as well- but the early end to their lives would not be benefit them and no one wished to have the ire of their Lady upon them for the destruction of innocent beings. She was quickly soothed by his honest words to keep her from harm and the tension was released from her general countenance. The death of the day was fast approaching as this system's star descended and the reemergence of the nightly celestial body began its journey upward to join the others on the dark curtain of night, christening the end of day. This seemed to signal his Lady's thoughtfulness to inform him that it was unwise for him to continue his stay without first acquiring the necessary supplies needed for the following day. He tried in vain to assure her that it could wait until the morning but she could be as stubborn as any bull and would not listen to his excuses but she managed to say all of this with an easy atmosphere that did not come off as anything more than playful- with a slight undertone that would broke no arguments. He smiled fondly at the subtle display of her natural ability to lead others without use of fear or underhandedness, unlike those against them. The days of her true power would be returning shortly with the help from the others of their kind and he kept those happy thoughts in the forefront of his mind as he walked out the door into the darkness, unsuspecting of the malicious intent of the person slinking among the various shades of the city.

Said person remained hidden from notice until he reached his home. With the skills of one chosen to bare the assassin's creed from infancy, the would-be attacker crept up to the outside wall of the gray building where the guardian was sure to be and waited until the soft sound of footsteps could be heard ascending the stairs to the second floor. The assassin was lithe, feline in movement and approached, virtually soundless, from behind. Carefully prowling along the same path, with a small nondescript knife in hand, the attacker followed unbeknownst to the victim. Breathing became shallower as the distance was shortened until the victim whirled around, grasping the wrist that wielded the blade, in a sudden and- if the assassin's sharp intake of air was any indication- unexpected reversal of the situation. The hunted was now the hunter and thus gaining the most valuable asset; surprise. They struggled for dominance, both desperately angling to achieve a favorable enough position to bring it all to an end. Grunts and groans- only heard by the two combatants seeking leverage over the other- were released in desperation. If the effeminate tone of voice and sleek physical appearance could be used as an indicator, then his attacker was definitely a woman. She had speed on him but he was marginally stronger than his adversary and that would make a difference if this battle raged on. Realizing that perhaps this attack had been unwise, she leapt back into a defensive stance after slicing along the opponent's floating ribs. It would not be a fatal wound if tended to but would serve its purpose, a warning. Deed being done, the guardian was left panting and breathing heavily; alone to contemplate the next course of action, he caught his breath, clutching the growing stain clawing its way up his shirt. He pulled out his phone- checking the time- straightened and walked to the destination he'd intended originally. His Lady Luka would be worried about his slow return if he did not treat himself quickly and Kaito couldn't have her leaving the relative safety of her apartment just yet.

**{break}**

I'd hurriedly walked about my messy apartment, picking up the various articles of clothing scattered throughout, wanting to have some semblance of a wardrobe to choose from in the morning before Kaito was supposed to come back over. After agonizing over whether it would be safer to share my newfound knowledge of my _fan club_ or keep it to myself, Kaito had called me to finalize our plans for a night out with the twins tomorrow and said he would swing by after his shift. Seeing Ty so ecstatic to see him walk through the door earlier reminded me of how much importance he was to me and that if anyone could assist me with this particular dilemma, it would most assuredly be him. Who better to trust in, than your best friend? What I couldn't decide on, however, was to whether to divulge my growing gravitation to the girl in our chemistry class. How I was I supposed to explain my reactions to her when I barely- if at all- understood them myself? Everything about it was preposterous at best and would only add to my increasing insanity. It would help if I would stop thinking about her all the time though, wouldn't it? Ha! I'm losing it…lost it. Pfft.

Maybe I could try to catch a nap while Kaito was out since he'd be gone a while. He always was. What did that boy do that took so long; pick fights to get in along the way? While I contemplated the combat abilities of my cobalt-headed friend, I noticed a glint outside my window. Trying to make out what it could be, I walked over my laundry piles and to the slightly jarred window. Faster than I could react, I was struck with the unexpected weight of a roguish looking woman, with long teal hair pulled into a neat ponytail, suddenly hurdling herself into me as she deftly maneuvered us both from imminent harm. She must have perched atop the fire escape; I contemplated, remarkably, without concern for the woman who'd let herself in and was currently pining me between her toned body and my cheap, coffee-stained carpeted floor. This room was in desperate need of a new one, I mused, trying to not think of _her_ body contouring deliciously along mine. The woman released me from her hold, after supposing it 'safe'; Positioning just above me, with an outstretched hand, issued a small shy smile down at me urging me to accept her assistance.

"Hi.", she spoke softly as if afraid I would dart to the door the moment I was able, which I should have been at least thinking about doing had I had been in my right mind. Something about being suddenly tackled, and with no relation to our earlier intimate positions, left me with a bit of rattling where my brain was supposed to be comfortably housed and in working order. I reached for the hand proffered to me and opened my mouth to speak.

"I was just thinking about you.", I blurted out. That wasn't what I was going to say. Freudian-slip? A light blush made itself at home upon my face as she donned a sly smirk. "So…what brings you to this neck of the woods?", I casually gestured to my living room once I was on my feet and hoped to distract her from the previous comment.

The question appeared to have brought her back to her intended purpose as she stalked to the door, placing her head against the adjacent wall. Glancing purposefully back to me, making direct eye-contact, she commanded in an authoritative whisper, "Put your shoes on. We need to go. Now." I was about to argue when Ty trotted in front of me issuing a low, barely restrained growl at the door.

"Ty, what're y-", I was cut off by the repeated command to get my shoes…now. I fumbled about searching for my sneakers and upon discovery, slipped them on without further deviation. A bizarre but not completely unfamiliar sensation could be felt enveloping my body, causing a merging of hot and cold to engulf me. Flurries of assorted color variations began flitting through my field of vision, distracting in its magnificently simplistic yet complex arrangement. I was drifting into it before being annoyingly grounded by the warmth of a delicate grasping of my hand.

"We don't have much time. Let's go.", she said while ushering me out my small apartment window, following directly behind. Walking over to the edge, she signaled below and summarily wrapped her arm around my waist, allowing me to feel the taut muscle secure me to her. She looked at me, oozing confidence and excitement, and asked with a devious lilting of her voice "You ready for this?" I had a moment to consider the wondrous combination of the tight embrace and devilish tone before we were suddenly running up and over the railing, plummeting to the street below. I hadn't had time to scream- not that I would have regardless- because we were suddenly met with wet, crunchy gravel underfoot and succinctly ushered into the idling vehicle before speeding down the empty road.

The car's occupants were indistinguishable in the low light being emitted from the passing streetlamps. I had no clue what was going on at this point but panic- and probably bile- rose from within me, threatening to launch me into hysteria. I tensed, making me realize that I was still firmly attached to…Miku? My eyes darted around the vehicle with new clarity. The unknown figures began to become recognizable. From the depths of my mind, I fished for where I had last seen them. These were the very same people who were stalking me! I waited too long. There was no one to help me now. Who or what ever was outside my door earlier was probably not nearly as much of a threat as them. I tried to move away from the woman coddling me but the space inside the vehicle was fairly nonexistent.

"Looks like our Lady doesn't like ya much Miku.", the driver's blonde head bobbed in laughter, eyeing the backseat from the rearview mirror.

"Shut it Neru.", Miku snipped back testily before gazing forlornly out the window. Was that pitiful expression my fault?

"Don't mind them.", spoke a distinguished woman with long auburn hair streaked with an even richer burgundy color. "How are you?", she asked from the front passenger's seat as if I hadn't just been kidnapped –(un)willingly kidnapped mind you- from my own apartment and catapulted off the fire escape. She sucked on a hard candy as she waited patiently for my response, the artificial cherry scent wafting up my nostrils.

"Uhhh…", I began unsure of how to answer. "I've had better evenings, I suppose." At this, she let loose a chiming bell of a laugh that eased my tension- though it shouldn't have.

"I see. Would you rather we return and left you with those who'd wish you harm instead?", she asked innocently, receiving a glare laced with warning from Miku.

"And you do not? Wish me harm, that is?" I asked reproachfully, not understanding how she could make accusations when they so obviously 'wished me harm'.

The red-head shot Miku a quick look of disapproval. "Have you told her nothing?", she asked getting louder the longer she spoke and received no reply. "I was lead to believe our Lady had achieved her awakened state. Is this not true?" A blaring silence followed as no one said anything and the vehicle slowed and came to rest. She sighed audibly, letting her gaze roam over the car's occupants before once again resting upon me. "My apologies. I was under the false-impression that you had returned to us. Please, let me be the first to welcome you."

"Who are all of you and welcome me to what exactly?" I skeptically asked, masking the apprehension I felt inside.

The car doors were opened from the outside, letting out its passengers to step out into the lighted area. The sight before me didn't register at first. A spectacularly sized mansion- err castle- stood before me. Abundant flora of every color, shape and size surrounded the outer walls of the castle. Trees consumed the area, cloaking its splendor from the city and preventing the man-made lights from penetrating through. This in turn made for the deep blackness of the night sky to be brought to attention; A diverse lightshow of fluctuating streaks of color were directly overhead with small orbs of white light dotting the sky as I had never seen. I gasped in awe, delighting in the fantastical sight before me. Where was this place?

The wrought-iron gates were opened with no effort and were flanked by two of the vehicles' passengers on each side, revealing a vast garden bursting with life and adorned with tasteful glowing glass statues, emitting a calming energy over the entire area. I hadn't realized that I'd moved- or maybe she had- but Miku was at my side in silent support. She leaned down and bent over in what seemed to be her needing to tie her shoe. I allowed my gaze to follow her until I saw that those holding the gate had followed suit as Miku bowed her head low. They were bowing? I looked around expecting to find some matriarchal figure to which I assumed I was also supposed to be bowing to but was met with the eyes of the hard candy eating red-head from before. She smiled at me and descended as well. I felt Miku's eyes on me, drawing my attention to their kaleidoscopic nature. Eyes boring into mine, daring me to look at anyone but her, she stood and spoke.

"I am Miku Hatsune, Head of the Third Family of the Order Vocalis and this...", she gestured toward the castle. "Is Castle Vocalidium, home to the Order and all of its descendants. I have waited for you my Lady, as you commanded." Glistening with indescribable emotion, her eyes still hadn't strayed from mine in the slightest as she whispered the last part.

"For me? You must have mistaken me for…" I was cut off before I could finish.

"We are not mistaken. The Order, once a member is awakened, is duty-bound and drawn to the remaining members, of which you are, Luka." She continued. "You are Luka Megurine, Head of the _First_ Family of the Order Vocalis, one of five members on the Council of Vocalae and I…" she trailed off before leaning close, picking up so that only I could hear her. "…have finally found you."

**{break}**

**Well, here we are at the end of the second chapter. All sorts of stuff is going on in this one. Y'all confused about anything yet? What's gonna happen now? I don't even know! Or maybe I do… ;P You'll just have to wait till next week to find out! **

**Got another game tonight! Wish us luck! Caio 3**

**~~Rai**


	3. Chapter 3: Rediscovery

**Apologies all! I wasn't planning on being late with this chapter. It was actually going to be posted much earlier but my laptop charger died on me and I lamely fixed it so I could wait for the replacement part to be sent to me but then there was a power surge that fried it completely. Now I need to get a brand new expensive charger. *Sigh* **

**Needless to say a bit of hassle and I still don't have a new charger so I'm having to write on the home computer which I'm rarely able to use due to my lack of time actually at home.**

**Anyway, thank you to all of you who reviewed and those who are following my story. Hope it doesn't disappoint. **

**I've also moved this story from T rating to M rating so you've been warned. There will be a more graphic nature to this story eventually but only mildly so in this chapter (imo). **

**Disclaimer: Vocaloids are not mine.**

* * *

Chapter 3: "Rediscovery"

_ Warmth radiated from overhead, cradling, lulling all into calm peacefulness. The rich aromatic scent of summer permeated the air, flora in full bloom, seeking to spread their pollen. Mediterranean woodlands, rich with invasive unrestrained rosemary, aspen and poplars shielded the expanse of open field. Wild grasses and flowers littering the openness. _

_ "What are you thinking about, my love?" she asked, nuzzling into my neck as we lay together atop the thick woven blanket. _

_ "The perfection of this very moment," I responded as I gazed up toward the heavens, my thoughts drifting to all that had happened over the course of our many lives together._

_ I raked my hand through long tresses of teal, enjoying the gentle caress of her locks slipping through my fingers. Reveling in sharing this simple moment of respite from the assault of bustling city-life with the only person to truly make every seemingly insignificant thing wondrous and exciting, I listened to the hum of the surrounding life._

_ A satisfied sigh could be heard from the woman curled into my side as she snuggled deeper into me and lazily ran her fingertips over my slightly exposed navel._

_ "What do you say to a house out here? Away from everything," I asked without looking at her, avoiding the wordless questions I was sure to see in her eyes._

_ The idea to propose our creating a home together had had me anxious over the last few months. How was I to go about the preparations without my dearest, Miku, discovering me and still somehow ignoring the needless fear of her dissent to my offer?_

_ Eyes full of tender love met mine, luring me toward the source of my unbridled affections, as she pulled our bodies together and met her full lips to mine in response. How foolish of me to think anything but a yes would grace those lips. _

_ What had started out as innocent soon became passionate as our shared happiness fueled the growing heat within us. Pulling herself to sit astride me, searing aquamarine met deep turquoise, daring me to try anything. I would not disobey the quiet command lingering there. I would accept anything and everything from this woman whom I had so deeply fallen for. No matter the consequence. _

_ Skillful fingers ran down the course of my light blue blouse, relieving it from its duty of remaining closed. Anticipation raced; zip lining, up and down, through me. I tried to control my breathing and shied away from her gaze, attempting to stem my growing excitement. _

_ "Don't hide yourself from me Luka," she said as fingers travelled across my recently exposed chest, fondling the tender peaks with soft familiar hands, expertly navigating through touch alone and without need of sight. _

_ Gently tilting my chin, coercing me to peer into her eyes for any sign of deceit, she lowered her body just above mine. No such sign was evident nor did I expect it to be as I tugged her down onto me, encouraging. My own hands urging, needing to be closer, they roamed along to the small of her back, pressing us ever nearer as our tongues met in rhythmic dance. _

_ A lust filled moan escaped as Miku's core pushed into mine. Drowning out everything but each other, bodies and limbs moving of their own accord, we removed the few articles of clothing that sat betwixt us, uncaring where they may lie. _

_ Reveling in the sight of her bare before me, I could restrain myself no longer._

_ "I love you Miku," I whispered into my lover's ear as I trailed a hot path downward with my fingers, admiring the gentle contours of her soft body._

_ "I will always love you. In this life and the next," she barely managed to choke out the last part as I found her center, greeting me with delicious zeal. Her pleasured moans and gasps, music to my ears, beckoned me to continue to the ultimate end but I refused to have this moment be over so soon. Prolonging, teetering just shy of culmination, and never wanting this- our time- to cease, I tethered my passion in favor of my love's pleasure._

_ "I know love. I know." _

* * *

I looked around the finely furnished room, confused. The difference between what I had just been dreaming and my current dwelling was, well, rather disappointing. That must have been another of those memories that Miki had told me about a few days ago.

Pieces of my fragmented memory would continue to return to me the longer I was here around my kind- the Kaivalyans- and the rest of the Order. Memories of my past lives would begin to travel back as the veil lifted from within my shielded mind, apparently. So far that seemed to be holding true because the longer I was here, the more I was drawn to certain people and places hidden within Castle Vocalidium.

Upon my entry through the main gates and into the actual Castle, I was bombarded with the familiar warmth of kind greetings from my people whom I could not say I had met in this lifetime but I knew without knowing that they were of the same. Their infectious smiles and affectionate salutations filled me with a peacefulness I could not recall ever having had but quenched my soul like one who has traversed many desert sands, plagued by an endless thirst, and suddenly is gifted with water.

Thinking that I should probably get up, I contemplated the pros and cons of that decision. The large, four poster canopy bed I had for myself was quite comfortable and at the perfect temperature for me, the surrounding air just not as tempting in comparison.

A knock at the door interrupted my lazy thoughts, making the decision for me, and I left my heat saturated den of blankets to answer the awaiting person on the other side. Quickly, I slipped into a robe left hanging on the wall nearest the door and grasped the handle of the door.

"Good morning Ms. Megurine," Miki greeted me, smiling eagerly as she unwrapped a red candy and popped it into her mouth.

"Morning but just Luka is fine you know," I groggily answered back. "What brings you here?"

"I heard you were wandering around the Castle and thought who better to give you a tour than me," she replied, sending a candied cherry scent drifting across to me. This woman always seemed to smell of cherries for some reason, sometimes faint but always present.

"Sure, how about we meet in an hour and head out for lunch after the tour?"

"Aye!" She exclaimed in mock salute and with a smirk made a quick pivot back toward the hall, prancing and skipping all the way down, startling some of the staff.

Laughing at her antics, I went back into my room, letting the door close as I went through it. Casually looking around, I meandered toward a chest of drawers in the back of the room, taking the time to inspect the chosen decor. Somehow, unbeknownst to me, my personal belongings had been brought over from my apartment and were neatly folded in the assorted chests and wardrobes, not that I had that many clothes to be brought over.

My favorite pair of jeans were the first thing I saw when I opened up the bottom drawer. Grabbing the waistband, they unfurled and I tossed them on the bed before returning to my clothing options. Searching, I spotted a black V-neck shirt that hung loosely but accentuated certain assets demurely.

Having my outfit determined, I headed to the adjoining bathroom to take a quick shower and head down to the main hall to meet Miki.

* * *

"So where are we headed to first?" I asked, surprisingly excited to discover what Miki would be showing me.

"Well, it depends. What parts have you seen already?" The deep auburn haired woman asked me, single lock of hair bouncing atop her head, forming a question mark.

"I've mostly wandered around without trying to get in anyone's way… so not too much," I gave her as a response.

"How about we go to the archive room then?" She asked me without really asking as she strode off in the area where the stairs were, waiting patiently as she realized that I was lagging behind.

We walked in comfortable silence, passing oddly ornamented doors that gave off an aura of affability, noting to myself where these were in relation to each other for later exploration. Briskly, we continued companionably until she brought us before a massive mahogany entranceway, delicately carved, workmanship evident even to the untrained eye.

Allowing me time to reacquaint myself with the great visage before me, Miki patiently waited, idly talking to passersby. The designs etched into the wood picked at something within me, nagging the depths of my memories. A familiar countenance of its creator flashed in my mind.

_ "…and this part right here is where our star used to be," a beautiful blonde haired woman proudly spoke to the young roseate haired girl shyly clinging to her as she gently hammered the chisel along the sketched pattern. _

_ "One day you all will lead the whole of the Kaivalyans and we will return to the stars, my dear Luka."_

_ "That's not going to be for forever though," the young girl countered. "You, Papa, and all of the others of the Council will take care of us. You have many more cycles yet to live, right Mama?"_

_ "But one day, we will not and you must not waiver in your duties. Defend those who are in need and do not stray from your own path," she spoke, tucking a strand of her behind her ear before admiring her work and stepping aside, allowing the young child to look on as well. _

"My mother made this before she moved on," I said, not needing acknowledgement but stating the fact as the resurfaced memory faded out.

"Yes. She had undeniable talent in the arts," Miki spoke softly in front of the door before turning to me. "Shall we?"

I pushed past the doors, into the archive room, startled at all there was to see before me. There were large spheres suspended from the ceiling, arranged to look like space but they didn't seem to be match with what should be our solar system. One particular globe grabbed my attention and I realized that was our home planet.

"That's where we're from, yes?" I questioned Miki, pointing to the globe in question.

"Mm," she responded as she walked over to an organized stack of large books- presumably dusty tomes of foreign knowledge- and sifted through them in search of something.

Taking in the rest of the room, I took note of the various artifacts of Earth's history scattered throughout the vast, expansive archive room: dated maps, exotic head dresses, finely stitched clothwork, grotesque looking statues, an assorted range of weapons from our time to current and many more objects that couldn't be directly seen from the distance or were neatly filed away.

I walked amongst the items while Miki busied herself with searching for a particular book. Each object would trigger a distant memory of times from my past, it seemed. A particular weapon reminding me of a perilous battle I'd fought, nearly getting myself decapitated. The feel of the fine silk sent me back to when the material was first fabricated and presented to me as a gift from a potential suitor. Spectacular paintings of artists long forgotten from modern history but honored here in the archives of another species remained.

"Ah, here it is," Miki spoke from deep in the recesses of the literature section of the room, hidden in its maze like layout.

The clattering of her tailored white leather boots, reverberated from the walls as she made her way to where I was, matching white, light silver coat billowing out behind her, book in hand.

Meeting at a nearby table, she set the book down in front of me before speaking, "Because we have existed for so long, some of our earliest days tend to be forgotten so we have a record of our home, our original home, written within this book."

Looking down at the odd book Miki set on the table, I read the title to myself.

_Ekatmatas. _

Even in my head, the name didn't sound foreign to me. That struck me as somewhat strange considering I couldn't have heard it anywhere else before but I was sort of getting used to this multiplicity of having many lives.

I flipped the pages of the ancient scholarly text carefully, unsure of its bindings, and leisurely read along, skimming over material I had already recalled. Every passage was accompanied by an image I was sure I had seen previously, déjà vu in full effect.

"So…," the cherry loving woman next to me began, looking to me apprehensively.

An uncharacteristic serenity washed over me the more I read into the text. More and more of myself returning, merging seamlessly with my current character, I felt at ease.

"I remember." I spoke simply.

"There are thirteen ruling Families among our people- the Kaivalyans- all a part of the Order Vocalis. Once there had been more but they are no longer in existence as they are not necessary," I began, reciting the knowledge stored deep within me. "We are from Ekatmatas but were forced to flee here to Earth as the death of our star approached and were hidden from the humans for centuries before coming to merge within their society."

"It would seem that bringing you here was a good way to jar your memory, huh?" Miki responded, looking impressed.

"Yes, It would seem so," I giggled despite myself, her good humor affecting me. "Perhaps, we should go get that lunch now. I'm famished." I offered after the bizarre hanging clock chimed.

"That's a great idea. I hear there's going to be cherry pie for dessert today." She replied, way too excited about the feasible sweets, lock of hair jumping up and down.

I lead the way out of the room and toward the dining hall where lunch was to be served informally in a cafeteria style eatery. My former leadership skills and practices returned to me immediately. I, being of the First Family, was the final say in all matters but was advised chiefly by the Council which was the make-up of the first five Families of the Order, followed thereafter by the say of the remaining Families.

Ours was a government ruled as an aristocratic republic. The privileged Thirteen Families would usually choose the best course of action but dire matters that affected the whole would be brought before the masses for counsel. The deviation from our once monarchal rule had benefitted the Kaivalyans greatly. No longer plagued by the whims of the one, we lived in peace.

"Hey there Ms. Megurine! Ms. Kozaki!" Several people greeted us as we walked to the cafeteria.

"You guys better hurry up if you don't want all the good stuff to be gone."

"I can't believe I forgot about all of this," I said, looking over to Miki.

"It's interesting that we can just forget so much of ourselves just to have it come back as soon as there's a substantial gathering of our people," she replied. "I don't think I would have believed it if someone had just told me."

"Haha. That's easy for you to say," I laughed. "You've had time to get used to all of this while I've been at it for all of… a week?"

"Even still, I can't say I'd prefer it any other way. There was always this sense of me never really being like anyone else," she spoke seriously. "There were certain people that looked or felt different than everyone else and I found myself inexplicably drawn to them."

"Yes, I know that feeling well." I whispered, remembering the pull I had to a tealette I knew. "At least now we have a reason for all those odd feelings. I always just thought I was crazy. My therapist sure wanted to agree with that logic."

Laughing at my humor, Miki replied through her short chickles, "I think we all have had that situation too! Thank goodness there are psychological doctors in this era!"

"What do you mean?" I asked somewhat confused.

"We used to get tortured and experimented on when we weren't fully aware of ourselves." she responded, absent of her earlier humor. "We even had a part in that whole witch urning fiasco at one point."

"Wow… I don't recall that."

"You wouldn't. It was mostly here in the new colonies." she spoke, eyes traveling to a time not too long ago in comparison. "I believe most of the Council was over in Europe still and the Order was safe so there was no message relayed out."

"Ah, right. We would only have known if there was a large population of us destroyed or if one of the Order was harmed." speaking factually, though it had just occurred to me.

"I see the basics have returned to you almost fully," Miki spoke with a hint of awe. "It always amazes me how quickly those of the Order have everything just snap back into place."

"Well, it doesn't just 'snap into place' as you say," I said, laughing slightly behind my hand. "Mostly it's triggered by all of you. A memory here or there but it's like surfacing from after a dive into the water. Underwater, it's fuzzy and distorted but once you come back up, everything was as it should have been."

Miki's eyes sparkled and she grinned a knowing smile, though I wasn't sure why.

"Why're you looking at me like that?"

"That's exactly what you told me last time too." She laughed at my dumb expression of surprise.

"Well… now you can be sure I'm not a clone, right?" I laughed with her. "A clone wouldn't have done that."

"A Luka clone couldn't do that anyway," She countered. "The humans already tried and it completely backfired."

"They tried to clone us before?" I asked as we reached the cafeteria doors and got in line with the rest. "What happened?"

Miki leaned up against the railing as we talked. "It kind of blew up the machine they were using." She snickered deviously.

Her general attitude about the event seemed almost like... "It was you, wasn't it?"

"No! It wasn't me that time! It was Teto and Neru with their endless prank wars." She vehemently denied the accusation, arms flailing, almost hitting the person behind her.

Vague, unclear memories surfaced about a bet made between some of the members of the Order pranking the unknowing humans. I recalled there being two main groups but I couldn't seem to place the familiar visage trying to present itself in my mind.

As we managed to get to the front of the line we chose one of the many meal sets available. I was surprised to see such a fine tuna dish as an option and selected the tuna tartare abed a zesty lime, avocado spiced mixture topped with sesame seeds. Miki somehow found a small perfectly cooked steak with a tangy cherry bourbon sauce. Who was this amazing chef?

We continued our conversation from where we'd ended earlier and talked of past times together. Miki had long been the unofficial gatherer of the Council and was typically entrusted with the task of watching over us until it was safe to assume we had awakened. It was socially frowned upon to awaken another because we wanted everyone to be able to live their own lives freely, if possible.

The general populace were somewhat drawn to each other and usually gathered in large cities without full knowledge of who was who but there was a deep-rooted calling to our kind at a cellular level. Once our people had gathered in large enough quantities, the members of the Order would begin to awaken and it was their job to locate us, those of the Council to assume our roles. The only times we would be forced into uniting everyone was because something big was going to happen; just as animals could sense impending weather changes or predict a serious event, so could we.

Some epidemic, cataclysmic event or other threat to our people was coming.

"Since we saw all the archive stuff, I wanna show you something new," Miki exuberantly jumped up to put our dishes away.

"New? What couldn't be new at this point for me?" I laughed at my own missing pieces of memory.

"Har har. C'mon! You'll love it!" She insisted and gently urged me out of the cafeteria room.

Not wanting to hamper her good mood and not really wanting to say no, I followed along, letting myself be led around the hallways. We didn't have far to walk before Miki stopped in front of a closed door that had ancient hieroglyphs over it. The shapes coalesced in my mind and read _Animales._

"You brought me to an indoor zoo?" I asked incredulous at the les than exciting prospect. I was sure at this point I had already seen most if not all of the animals already.

"Yes. Just a boring ol' zoo," she sarcastically replied, still pushing me through the doorway.

Once I was through the entranceway, a bombardment of varying 'animals' were before me. All sorts of what I thought were long gone creatures were set before me. A large palomino horse with feathery wings and the head of a hawk was lazily eating in the corner of the spacious room where a lion-headed goat with a snake-like tail was sleeping peacefully.

"How… how did you get them back?" I asked incredulously, unsure of how I could be seeing what I was seeing and letting my eyes roam over the fantastic expanse of terrain before me.

The room was anything but a room in appearance. A conglomerate of different land types existed harmoniously for each animal's preference. The 'ceiling' high enough for those with wings to soar freely and the depths of the 'oceans' perfect them to swim, dive, and frolic without broaching onto each other's territory. It was almost like another dimension in this space which shouldn't be hard to believe considering that the Castle itself seemed like it was in it's own plane already.

"After that little incident of their escape, we found someone within who could hear them at a superior distance than we thought was possible." Miki spoke proudly as a despondent woman, drinking out of a large alcohol bottle, began to feed the various beasts.

"Hmmm…?" the drunk gray haired woman turned around, feeling our presence before returning to her task without speaking.

"This is Haku Yowane. Head of the Thirteenth Family and current care taker of the animals from Ekatmatas." Miki piped up for the woman.

"It's nice to meet you Ms. Yowane," I offered out my hand when I was close enough to do so. She reluctantly shook my hand and mumbled an incoherent greeting as well.

"She's a bit reticent but she really has this way with them." Miki spoke of her fondly. "You just have to over look the few drinks she imbibes in."

"This is fantastic though. I thought they were all gone," I said full of excitement. Having them all suddenly gone had depressed me long ago. There was a certain connection we had with other being but especially those animals. I often felt I had that feeling with Ty, my sweet Great Dane.

Together, Miki and I, followed Haku around- she also preferred just her first name, I was told- while she gave each animal some attention and nourishment. There was no aggression or hostility with her there. They all lived cohesively within the environment. If only everyone could manage such a feat of togetherness.

I was unsure how long we spent with Haku learning of the different animals little quirks and habits, each with their own sleep patterns, preferences for feeding time and play time but we exhausted our day in fascination learning the nuances of animal care until our own hunger was brought to the forefront of our thoughts again.

"Woah! Look at the time!" Miki said aloud, looking at her pocket watch. "We've taken up so much your time Haku. Thank you for all of this."

"Yes, thank you very much," I said in earnest gratitude as well. "This has really made my day. Both of you thank you."

"…you're welcome…," Haku said quietly with a shy smile gracing her typically somber features. "…come back when you'd like."

We had trekked our way back to where the door was and were saying our goodbyes at the doorway when a man, spying Miki and I, stopped and called out to us.

"Ah, Ms. Megurine and Ms. Kozaki. We were just looking for you," the cheery man spoke happily. "Some of the staff and us were thinking it would be a great idea to have a welcome party for everyone returning."

Miki and I looked at each other simultaneously before responding.

"That would be a great idea," I said, speaking up. "Why don't you get started on the preparations for organzing it, Joahan. Make sure that there are enough people who want to volunteer to participate and Miki and I will work get back to you on the details."

"A party, huh? This is going to be interesting once she shows up with the rest," Miki spoke to herself.

* * *

**Well, there's the third installment y'all.**

**Got some negotoro in there for and some background info that hopefully wasn't too confusing. Laying down the bases for future events and that darned plot. Lol. Things will probably be somewhat slow while development is going on but I'll try not to bore you to death with some action here and there.**

**I was trying some new things in this chapter with layout so let me know if I should stick with it or not. I was hoping this would flow a bit better than before. Feedback is, again, always welcome. :) **

**As always, thank you for continuing with me on this so far and let me know if you have any questions? See ya next time! Caio **

**~~Rai**


	4. Chapter 4: Times That Cannot Be Undone

**Hey all! I've been sort of busy and will continue to be fairly busy with final projects and finals coming up over the next week or so but I'll try to keep updating around the one week time frame. I'm also using this story to take breaks and procrastinate so maybe I won't be so slow at updating. Haha. **

**Anyway, here's the next installment! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own vocaloids in anyway (sadly).**

* * *

Chapter 4: "Times That Cannot Be Undone"

Flutter… Flutter…

"What pathetic creatures these worthless butterflies are." A well-dressed man in a casual navy-blue suit spoke, toying with the insect, manipulating the flames from the nearby candlewick.

The flittering butterfly, drawn to the flame within the darkness, danced dangerously close to the flames licking up at it. Erratically moving to and fro, the mesmerized insect could do nothing but be magnetically pulled to its fiery death. Its death was swift and beautiful, ending in a short lighting of papery wings.

"They see their own kind perish but still they fly toward death." The man spoke as if talking to a child, condescendingly. Sitting on a nearby rock in the deserted area, hand outstretched to the candle, he killed the butterfly with minimal effort.

Where there was one butterfly, two more with coloring worth noting took its place. The glow of the dying flames dyed each with warmth; one of the winged insects looking almost pink in hue and the other a cerulean color- shifting into ultramarine.

Though their coloring must have been lighter in a properly illuminated area, the candlelight provided an enchanting air about them as they spiraled around each other. Each seemed to challenge the other into decreasing the proximity to the misleading lights before them. Taunting and teasing one another in a simple dance, they continued to flit above the fire.

"Why can they not see? Why!? Why must they still choose that which would do them harm when it will mean their end?!" He spoke with increasing volume, startling the creatures from their aerial waltz.

One butterfly, jowls of the ravenous fires snapping at it, was thrown out of its intended path. The other, not having time to redirect itself, tumbled into the other and together they were devoured by the candle's flame. The remaining carcasses turned into ash, tumbling into a wispy pile of residuum, as it floated into the melting wax pooled around the base.

"See," he cooed at the dead butterflies. "You could have avoided all of this if you had just listened to me earlier and stayed away. You saw what happened to your friends before, right?"

Getting no immediate response, the onyx haired man took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Letting out a sigh, he blew out the flickering candle- although he could have wiled the flame away- and went inside the house to escape the lunacy of the irresponsible little creatures. The only way to get them to learn would be to remove the temptation as an option.

"Then… then everything will be as it should have been." A cheshire grin- spreading from one side of his once composed face to the other- crept dangerously onto his face.

"Who are you talking to?" A sweet lilting voice called from inside the house.

"No one, Camilla. Just thinking out loud; planning our next operation," he spoke without missing a beat, letting his expression turn friendly and less malicious.

"Alright Teru. Well since you're back, shall I get the Chinese on the phone?" She asked uncaringly. "They're being very…persistent." Her dirty blonde hair illuminated from the outdoor light overhead, she projected a warm countenance though this was not usually the case. Having a different relationship to their boss than most of the others within their organization, she was allowed to have a relaxed conversation.

"Sigh. They're so needy. Why can't they just follow orders and adjust it themselves like everyone else seems to be capable of doing?" He spoke, almost whining, as he walked inside the door Camilla held open for him. "Get that bleeding idiot on the line."

"Roger that!" The woman replied, giving a mock salute, before heading into the small kitchen to use the satellite phone. The landlines were untrustworthy and the only secure line was the encrypted signal that came from their own satellite phone.

The man strode to the kitchen table as well. Setting himself down onto one of the two creaky chairs in the cabin, he propped his black boots up on the second-hand wooden table. He leaned back and made himself comfortable.

"Soon… everything will be set into motion and those fools will be no more." He waited to be handed the phone. "Soon…"

* * *

"Miku we have to tell them soon. There's not enough time." A tall purple-haired man spoke insistently.

"You don't think that I of all people know that?" Miku replied sarcastically, shooting the Head of the Fourth Family an edged glare. "I have been dealing with this much longer than you, Gakupo." Though they had all grown up together once before, she couldn't handle the man anymore. He had started to become more and more impatient and annoying as the cycles had gone on.

Miku shifted her weight from one foot to the other in agitation. Perhaps she had made a mistake in telling him. What choice had she had? Her options were running low. Everyone's options were running low. The situation needed to be dealt with soon or everyone would be endangered again.

Teal eyes remained fixated, sneering sardonically at the person before her. Trying to not get wound up, she let out an audible sigh and spoke.

"Look, just give it a little more time. There's still some…unfinished business to be dealt with here anyway. Nothing can be done until then so there is no use in troubling anyone. Let them enjoy a little respite."

"Fine, fine. I'm not trying to be the bad guy, Miku." Gakupo said raising his hands up in surrender, trying to reason with the tense woman. "I just don't want this all to blow up in our faces. You know how dangerous this is; he is."

"I know. I'm sorry..." She said, trailing off as she heard someone approaching.

From her place in the Castle garden, she spotted a blonde ponytail swishing back and forth.

Gakupo had chosen a secluded spot in the back of the elegantly designed landscape. The pathway leading away from the Castle branched out into multiple paths, each to another themed sequestered section. It was a sort of walk through of the different eras and locations on this planet, not simply through ornamentation of the area but also the general atmosphere that cloaked it. This would never be possible anywhere but at Castle Vocalidium.

"Yeah! HAHA! Right?! I told him that but he didn't wanna listen to me." The blonde's voice carried over to the twosome.

Miku glanced at Gakupo before they both simultaneously rolled their eyes at the woman with the side ponytail atop her head. She had spotted them and was carving a way over to them, ignoring the premade walkways.

"…No way! There's no way he did that? Actually, don't tell me. We can talk about it later. Mmhmm. Yeah, I'll call you back. See ya." The woman tapped a device attached to her ear and looked from Gakupo to Miku before settling on Miku.

"Miki wants me to see if you all would help prepare for a party to celebrate everyone's gathering." The blonde spoke, lacking her previous enthusiasm.

"There's a bit of a problem with that," cerulean eyes looked down at the Head of the Twelfth Family, no love lost between them. "There are a few people missing for this little party." Several of the other members of the Order were still en route to the Castle she had guessed since she couldn't get the feeling of them being at the Castle.

"Yes, we know that but Luka said she wanted to have an idea of who would be willing to participate before everything got started."

A flash of hurt flashed over Miku's face. She looked thoughtful suddenly, pretending to ponder the question in an attempt to hide her slip.

"I'm in. Sounds like fun." Gakupo piped up, unknowingly assisting the tealette.

Miku had no intention of interacting with the Head of the First Family, if she could help it. She had found her like she was supposed to. She seemed to be one of the few who always could. Not that that surprised her. Desperately she had searched for the rest of the group but she was always inexplicably drawn to her and her alone.

Once Miku found her- Luka Megurine- the rest of the Order fell in line…mostly. They had gathered, yes, but nothing would go smoothly. As much as she didn't want to admit it, they needed Luka. She was the only one who could run and operate the workings of such a gathering of their kind without arguments and fights erupting constantly. They had all been so peaceful before but things were changing and Miku wasn't sure it was for the better.

"Yeah, I guess I'm in too, Neru." Miku finally responded. "I'll help the kitchen staff. Tell Mrs. Matty I'm in if she'll have me." Mrs. Matty used to let Miku in on some of her wonderful recipes allowing Miku to make a mess of the kitchen while the rest of the kitchen staff giggled and tried to remain focused on their work.

"Where are the rest of them?" Gakupo questioned Neru, seeking knowledge on the whereabouts of those of the Order not already present at the Castle.

"The only ones not in the near vicinity are Ms. Masami and Ms. Kagamine," Neru replied easily.

"Of course," Miku said rolling her eyes. Megumi Masami- Head of the Fifth Family- was the ever-loyal guard dog of the Second Family, namely the current Head: Lily Kagamine.

"They should be returning within the next week. Ms. Masami said she would fetch her in short time," Gakupo and Miku giggled at the unintended reference of Gumi being a dog, livening the mood if only slightly.

"Everyone else is here at the Castle or just outside in the city."

Gakupo took a small metal object from his left pant's pocket, pushing a small button along the edge. A small spring was unleashed revealing a watch face underneath. Noting the time, his eyes grew wide.

"It's been a pleasure but it would seem that a prior engagement shall take me from your presence." He waved goodbye, calling out over his shoulder as he dashed to the closest exit.

"I also have to finish making my rounds and see who else will be willing to join in so I'll see you later," Neru walked off toward another direction, hoping to get back onto her phone.

Miku now alone, walked to a nearby bench and sat down gingerly.

The setting of this particular pathway was a meaningful attempt at recreating the environment from their home. Many had adjusted to life here on Earth over the millennia that they had occupied the planet but the longing for Ekatmatas still lingered. A wistful yearning would overcome them at times and in this garden they could dwell on those nostalgic feelings undisturbed.

Rich turquoise hair gently lifted as a soft breeze went through the cloistered area.

The large frond leaves of the bushes bobbed and draped themselves over one another, creating a natural tempo. Smaller, vibrantly colored- unearthly- leaves from the surrounding trees added to the musical harmony, conjuring a memory from long ago; A time of innocence and triumph that swiftly was overcome and wrought with heartache and betrayal.

Not wanting to relive those memories, however, Miku tried to ignore the grief welling up from within her. Choking down the swelling emotions she spotted a flower; a tiger lily, bathed in violets and blues, surrounded by flitting and fluttering butterflies.

When was the last time she had simply enjoyed the sensation of life, the effervescent bubbling and vivacious struggling to survive and thrive? The last moment she had just been…happy?

The blue-violet lily shifted into a deeper red-violet until it was a rich ruby red and no longer a lily but a beautiful flower of Andalusia placed in the hair of a Spanish woman as she prepared for her dance in the Square's center. Miku's mind had drifted into the past and the present forgotten to the pleasant memories.

_A slightly tanned arm was linked with Miku's as her companion tugged her, eager to see the flamenco dancer flaunt her sultry dancing skill. Though Miku mildly protested, she had to admit that she too was somewhat excited to see the dance._

_ "Luka, sweetheart, you know it's the same dance every time right?" Miku questioned teasingly, knowing that it didn't matter to Luka. _

_ "So. You still get excited seeing it too."_

_ "Not the point right now," Miku said, cutting her off. "The point is that it's supposed to be a sneak peek of the whole troupe. _

_ "But getting to see the whole troupe is almost impossible." Luka quipped, looking at the twirling of red fabric as the dancer lured in more spectators._

_ "Yes, they are _almost _impossible to get." Miku reached into her pocket and proudly displayed two tickets for the upcoming show, presenting them to Luka._

_ "Ah! You didn't!" Luka jumped up and hugged Miku to her. She had been talking about wanting to see the dancing troupe practically since the day they met each other. "How did you manage to get these?"_

_ "I pulled some strings and called in a few favors." Miku looked somewhat smug that she had pulled the feat. Luckily, she had friends all over from her younger days. Oliver had really pulled through this time though. "I hope you notice that there are two tickets there. So, who are you going to take with you?" _

_ "I'm not sure. Do you think Kaito would want to go with me?" _

_ Miku was shocked to hear that she wasn't the first candidate until she saw the smirk on Luka's face. "You!" _

_ "Me?" Luka jumped away from Miku as she tried to catch her. "That is in no way how you should be asking someone to take you somewhere, Ms. Hatsune."She continued trying to run around and away from Miku but Miku was faster than she let on and captured her._

_ "Har har, Ms. Megurine. Now, if you please?" Miku held her firmly in her arms as Luka foolhardily tried to wiggle out of her grasp. "You know you can't get out so just take me instead, you know you're going to."_

_ Smirking devilishly at her words Luka tilted her head to speak into Miku's ear. "How forward of you, Miku. Out here in front of everyone? I never knew you were into stuff like that."_

_ Realizing the phrasing of her sentence and the suggestiveness of it, Miku blushed furiously and tried to assess whether or not anyone else had overheard. She looked around. It seemed no one had paid them any mind since the dance was still going and Luka took the opportunity to reverse the hold. _

_ "Of course, I'd take you with me. I can't believe you did this for me." Luka leaned over and kissed Miku on the cheek before taking her hand, leading them away from the square. "Now, let's go check out the market since we both finally have the time to ourselves."_

_ "Fine, fine. Let's go."Miku pouted as she was dragged to the bustling market. The pungent musky scents swarmed them the closer they got. Horses milled about, carrying the loads of the farmers and locals alike. Shouting could be heard throughout the market as the vendors delivered their prices and deals while the buyers haggled for a better price. _

_ There was nothing like being in the market. Anything could be purchased if one knew who and what to look for. Today, though, the pair of women were simply browsing the variety of items and the first stop was a grouping of stalls that sold clothing. _

_ Miku sorted through the clothing not really seeing anything worth noting. She stole sidelong glances as she watched Luka. She was radiant as always and the afternoon light coming from the holes in the tarp above, made her look even more spectacular. _

_ Luka, finding a dress she liked, held it up to her body and looked around for a mirror. The merchant gestured awkwardly toward a mirror she could use. As Luka contemplated the dress, several people walking along admired Luka as well. It seemed like she wasn't the only one who had noticed the glow around her companion considering the merchant himself fumbled over his words trying to please Luka. _

_ The woman in question held up the dress and called Miku over. "Miku, what do you think about this one?" _

_ "I think you already have a dress like that in the same exact color." Miku deadpanned, feigning indifference to Luka's selection. The truth was that Miku loved everything Luka picked out because just about everything looked great on her. Even her 'casual' clothes garnered attention if the other customer's reactions were any indication. _

_ Luka, looking pensive, held the dress out before her once again. "I think you're right. No need to have the same exact dress," she giggled and returned the dress. _

_ "We have other colors if you'd like to see them, Señora?"Stumbling toward the back of the stall to retrieve said dresses, he continued speaking to Luka. "For you, a good price, Señora."_

_ "That's alright, we were just looking anyway," Miku cut in before he got too close to Luka. She really hated trying to persuade the merchants that she didn't want something so Miku would step up and save her the hassle. "Thank you for your help, Señor."_

_ When Miku turned back around to talk to Luka, she couldn't find her among the nearby people but then she noticed a head of pink hair lower than usual. As she approached her, she noticed that Luka was knelling next to a small boy with a tearstained face. _

_ "He must've gotten lost," Miku surmised aloud, before also leaning down to the boy's level. _

_ "Hey there buddy. Why don't we walk around the market and help you try to find your parents, hmm?" Luka cooed gently to the young boy who must've been around five or six years old. She'd always had a great rapport with the children and this time was no different for her as the boy hid in the folds of her dress. _

_ "Would you mind?" Luka pleadingly looked to Miku. _

_ "No, of course not. Let's get the little one back to his family." Miku wasn't as thrilled as Luka but she wouldn't let her down. She'd do anything in her power to make Luka happy. _

_ Miku stooped down to the hiding boy in an attempt to coax him out of his cocoon. "What's your name? I'm Miku."_

_ "…" The boy looked at Miku without answering._

_ "Do you remember where you and your parents were at when you last saw them?"_

_ He shook his head no and stuck his hand out. "I'm Carlito," he spoke quietly, gently easing his grip from the dress and reached to take Miku's hand. Having a destination in mind, he tugged Miku away from a giggling Luka._

_ Luka, amused by the boy's obvious trust in Miku, followed close behind as they walked. She watched Miku grimace as the boy dragged her about and muddied up her shoes in the process. A bit of the mud flew up when Miku walked through it and landed directly in the center of the boy's face. This caused Miku to break into a laughing fit while the boy tried to clean his face with his shirt. Seeking revenge, the boy looked like he was about to shove his hand into the mud._

_ "Oh, look." Luka had caught up to the pair and pointed to a toy vendor nearby, attempting to distract the boy before he could carry it out. _

_ The young boy's eyes lit up as he dashed into the tent, lost among the sizable toy collection. Every manner of toy for young boys and girls could be found among the wares: stuffed animals, wooden figures, tops, various sized marbles, beautiful Spanish dolls (as well as their houses) and much more. _

_ Walking past a few wooden poles with carved horse heads on one end, Luka walked over to a jar of glass marbles. The colors reflecting from them created a wonderful kaleidoscope along the nearby toys. She tilted and turned the jar carefully, so as not to break anything, and watched the light move about.  
_

_ Miku and the boy, Carlito, were busy playing with the small wooden figures and the toy horses. Carlito's toy soldier was trying to do battle with Miku's over the rights to ask the lady of the house for marriage- one of the Spanish dolls near them. _

_ "Hiya! Take that!"Carlito held his soldier up in the air and lunged it at Miku's._

_ "You can't defeat me that easily, you!" She jabbed her soldier back at the boy, getting fired up over their mock battle. She reached out for the horse toy and placed her soldier on top and play galloped it toward the other of the boy's soldiers. "Arrrggh!"_

_ Not wanting to be outdone, he grabbed his other soldier and charged it forward. "Ah ha! I've got you now!" The soldiers all collided in the center of their play area in a messy pile._

_ "Bleh… I've been stabbed…mortally wounded…"Miku spoke for her dying soldier, making him stagger out of the pile and off to the side while making pathetic neighing sounds for the horses._

_ "Now, I have the honor of asking for the Lady's hand!"The toy soldier rode his horse through the air and up to wear the doll was perched._

_ Luka, having long been distracted from the colorful glass spheres, watched on with adoring eyes. There was something sweet about watching her Miku play with the young boy as if they were family. She would have never guessed that Miku liked kids but it was a heart-warming sight for her. Having children of her own was something she hadn't though of much but she wondered what it would be like if Miku was there by her side, helping to raise them. _

_ "Señor, how much for the winning soldier and his trusty steed?" Miku called over to the merchant with a cheerful smile, gesturing to the toys being flown through the air._

_ The merchant looked over from his spot just outside the tent, where he was speaking to another man, and walked over to them. "Ah, for these… 250 pesetas for the pair."_

_ "How generous of you. I'll take it." More than thrilled with the thrifty price, Miku pulled a few coins from the bag tied to her belt. She handed them over to the man and turned around back to Carlito. "Since you won the battle, you'll have to live on for your Lady and take him home with you."_

_ Carlito's eyes widened as a large smile overtook his face. "Really? Thank you!" He jumped up, trying to hug Miku with all of his strength. _

_ "Haha. You're welcome." Miku was happy to have made the young boy so happy with such a small gesture of kindness. _

_ "CARLITO!" A woman's voice cut through the air. _

_ The group of three turned to the sound of the voice. Miku and Luka assuming the person to be the boy's mother and looking down at him for his reaction._

_ "MAMA!" He shouted back, making it clear that she was indeed his mother, and ran toward the woman. _

_ Miku and Luka looked at each other before walking through the aisles in the tent to Carlito's mother. From their position, they could see him hugging his mother until she pulled away from him and held him at arms length._

_ "I thought I'd lost you! Don't you ever do that again!" The boy received a stern reprimanding from his worried mother before she turned her attention toward them. "Thank you so much for taking care of my Carlito."_

_ "We couldn't just leave him there all alone. It wasn't a big deal." Luka spoke for them both. _

_ "I hope you don't mind but I got him a little something." Miku gestured to the toys she had purchased still in the boy's hand, looking somewhat shy and unsure of the reaction._

_ "Diós, now he'll always go running off expecting toys from strangers," the woman laughed, looking at her son. "It's quite alright. Thank you again for taking care of him. Perhaps there is someway I can repay you both? My husband and I run a restaurant not to far from here. You should come by."_

_ "Thank you for the offer but you really don't have to pay us back at all."Miku attempted to mind her manners though she really wanted to go. _

_ "Nonsense, come by when you have the chance and we'll treat you to the best food south of Seville." The woman winked before writing something down on a slip of paper and handed it to Miku. "I must be hurrying back now. The kitchen waits for no one!"_

_ In a flash, Carlito and his mother were gone, leaving Luka and Miku to dwell on the odd interaction. _

_ "Well, that was interesting." Luka was the first to speak and break the silence between them. "I never even got her name. Did you?" _

_ "I don't think so. Oh wait, it's here on the paper she gave me." They both looked at the paper. _'Mamá P: Casa del Lobos Hambriento'

_ "That's an interesting name…" Luka trailed off, trying to think of something to say. _

_ "I'll say. Maybe it has a significant meaning?_"

"_Maybe it does. I've never heard of it before. I guess we'll have to go by sometime." _

_ "We should. It'd be something new at the least." Miku spoke for oddly titled restaurant and began walking again. Though they had stopped initially to speak with the woman- and the earlier detour from Carlito- they resumed their walk through the market and enjoyed each other's company. _

_ Luka held onto Miku's arm once again and started up a new conversation. "Miku?"_

_ "Yes, Luka?" Miku raised an eyebrow at Luka's hesitant tone of voice. _

_ "What do you think about children?" Luka tried to ask ambiguously. "When I saw you playing with Carlito earlier, I…"She trailed off unsure, afraid of Miku's answer._

_ "Well, I don't know about the two of us being able to conceive a child…" Miku began, receiving a playful swat from Luka in response. "I never imagine being a mother but I do like kids though and I wouldn't mind being a parent if you were with me." She smiled lovingly at the woman on her arm._

_ "Oh, Miku…" Luka's chest filled with love and adoration for Miku and clung harder to her. "I definitely wouldn't mind having a child with you either."_

_ "We'd make such great parents." _

_ "Yes, we would. Oh! Let's go feed the birds over there." Luka gestured to the break in the market that led to an open park where a flock of wild birds were busily pecking away at the proffered crumbs. _

_ "Okay, okay. No need to pull so hard. They're not going anywhere." Miku grumbled, reaching the flock and gathering some crumbs to hand to Luka. "We're going to need a bigger house."_

_ "What? What's wrong with our house now?" Luka asked not following what Miku was saying. _

_ "The kids are going to want their own rooms." Miku replied nonchalantly. "I know I wouldn't want to share my room with my brother or sister."_

_ Completely shocked at her response, Luka's mouth hung slightly open before the words registered fully. "Miku!"_

_ "Yes, love?"_

_ Luka tackled Miku and pulled her into a smothering hug, kissing her. "I didn't think you would be so okay with this. I was just trying to gauge your opinion."_

_ "Well, might as well look into it now before you end up bringing home your own herd of them to our small house." Miku gazed into her love's brilliant blue eyes that shimmered with happiness, making note of the particular shade of blue that indicated her emotions._

The cerulean blue shifted to a darker ultramarine, then to a blue-violet, and rested on a red-violet. Turning from the love-filled blue eyes of her once lover to the brilliant coloring of the tiger lily once more.

Natural noises of the wildlife and wind focused in Miku's mind as she left her memories of her and Luka's once love-filled life. She so desperately wished to go back to those ignorant times before she knew of the heartbreak she would suffer.

As the breeze gently blew by, she realized her face was wet with shed tears. While lost in thought, she had begun to cry silently.

Hearing the sounds of familiar voices, she whipped her head around to the source. Luka's stunning blue eyes, filled with mirth, met Miku's dark stormy turquoise ones. Before she could help herself, Miku gave Luka a dazzlingly smile full of the love she once felt for her, stopping Luka dead in her tracks; Shock, confusion and uncertainty blanketed Luka's face. Realizing what she had done, Miku wiped her face of the tears and turned away, feeling more determined to get the job done and rid herself of being in Luka's presence.

It was too late for things to go back to the way they were. Luka had already made her choice and as much as it broke her heart even now, Miku was not the choice she had made. Luka had made it painfully apparent that she wasn't what she wanted and she wouldn't waste her time trying to change her mind anymore.

* * *

**Well, there ya have it. Didn't see too much of current Luka in this one but not everything gets to revolve around her (yes it does, I'm lying). Lol. We'll be getting back to 'current events' in the next chapter and answering a few things left open before but probably giving you all a whole new set of questions. ;P**

**Hope ya liked it and please feel free to comment. See ya soon! Caio!**

**~~Rai**


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